Financial Offering: One time or recurring, easy and secure
First Church now offers online giving for those faithfully making their pledge offerings and other contributions. You may use your computer or Smartphone to visit the FPC Giving Page or anytime you see the 💚GiveNowbutton on our website. Making a one-time or recurring contribution is safe, secure and simple and takes less than two minutes. This service is thanks to The Presbyterian Foundation’s Online Giving Program, with no monthly or annual fees. The Presbyterian Foundation uses the Vanco Payment Solutions platform, an industry leader in providing churches secure and simple giving solutions in compliance with Payment Card Industry data security standards for handling, storing and transmitting credit card information. Contact Robby Klim of Finance Committee, David Melton of Stewardship or Pastor Dave with any questions.
Why Give Back to God? Giving our tithes and offerings reflects a grateful heart that wants to give back to God a portion of what God has given us; in reality, what is already God's. This is our opportunity to show that God is first in our lives. The Bible says, The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives (Deuteronomy 14:23 TLB). Tithing is a reminder that God is the supplier of everything we have. It is also God’s personal invitation to an outpouring of blessing in your life.
FOUR REASONS TO GIVE BACK TO GOD Giving is a Reflection of the Heart: Matthew 6:20-21 “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
What’s the most important thing to you? We see the way our culture encourages us to store up treasures on earth and exalts materialism to the point where debt has become acceptable. We can probably even recognize that truth by looking at our own checkbooks. As followers of Christ, we are called to make our resources available for God's purposes.
Giving is a Reflection of Priorities:Long before tithing was a practice of the Israelite people, Cain and Abel, the 2nd generation of the human race, brought an offering to the Lord. Abel brought the “firstborn of his flock,” while Cain brought “some of the fruits of the soil.” The Lord blessed Abel’s offering, but rejected Cain’s. God wants to be first in our lives.
Deuteronomy 26:1-2 “When you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land and present them to the LORD your God.” (NIV)
Giving is a Privilege: The 1st Century church modeled for us what it means to give generously and joyfully so that more and more people can find their way closer to God.
2 Corinthians 8:2-4 “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.” (NIV)
Giving is a Blessing: God uses the tithe as an investment where everyone involved gets a return. If we are blessed beyond our needs, it is not for the purpose of living more lavishly but to bless others. The church and the kingdom are blessed, and yet God’s nature is to also bless the giver.
Malachi 3:10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’” (NIV)
